Thursday, December 11, 2008

T-Mobile, AT&T Agree to Stop Saying Mobile Voicemail is Safe

Mobile service providers AT&T and T-Mobile have been banned from saying that their voicemail systems are safe from sabotage after agreeing to permanent injunctions filed in a Los Angeles court.

The cell-phone providers falsely advertised the security of their systems, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. During an investigation, "cell phones purchased by undercover investigators were easily hacked into, enabling the voicemail to be changed at will," the district attorney said in a statement Thursday.

"Hacking into voicemail allowed messages to be changed or erased. Important information could be removed from the voicemail and phony information could be inserted," the district attorney said. "Imagine the havoc that could result."